


Happiness Is Waiting For Us

by addyrobin



Category: Flock - D&D Campaign
Genre: Been wanting to write this for MONTHS, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:04:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addyrobin/pseuds/addyrobin
Summary: Thana is closer than expected. She may not be able to speak like this, but that won't stop Rahmi and his sister from talking.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	Happiness Is Waiting For Us

**Author's Note:**

> I'm continuing to post things I've written about my D&D character in an attempt to archive them for both me and the other people who play in the game! If that's not your jam, dw--I'm doing this for me :3c
> 
> TERMS:  
Razeiya Faoric - A killoren at the head of the Eyrieni government, and the man Rahmi is employed under as a knight. As far as Rahmi (read: me) knows, killoren generally don't have the capacity to feel love. Despite this, Rahmi has fallen for him.
> 
> Zaiphoros - A magical falchion once belonging to Rahmi's master, Razeiya Faoric. It was suddenly gifted to Rahmi by Faoric without much explanation and has been the source of much confusion and turmoil for himself and others. The most important discovery about the blade thus far is that Rahmi's missing sister, Thana, can hear Rahmi through it.
> 
> Thana Romazi - Rahmi's beloved sister. Growing up, Thana was Rahmi's best friend and only companion, and vice versa. Together, as their mother and father began to fall apart at the seams, the siblings took to the streets and did what they could to live day by day – eating what garbage looked edible, stealing stale bread from the edges of the bakery racks, and, when they could, finding honest work that would pay them in single pieces of bronze for their sweat. They spoke of their dreams as they worked in kitchens peeling potatoes and sitting in storerooms sorting through boxes of useless documents, doing the jobs that all others refused – They frequently shared their dreams and goals with each other as a way of keeping hope alive between them. Thana dreamed of being a seamstress. Her brother dreamed only of remaining at her side. However, Thana knew that she and Rahmi couldn't continue to survive in poverty the way they had been, and so she left Rahmi and her family seven years ago to try and seek fortune that would help them survive.
> 
> She has been missing since, and Rahmi's ultimate goal in life has been to find her, putting aside every other dream or goal he had in the process. Information gathering revealed that Thana is imprisoned by the killoren--the same ones Rahmi has worked and lived under for several years... and even further information gathering revealed that his sister has been able to hear him through the sword he now wields, Zaiphoros.

_ “She can hear you.” _

Rahmi crashes into Mara’s house red faced and entirely out of breath, only briefly scanning the living room to make sure he hasn’t frightened anyone – but the house is blessedly empty right now, and quiet too.

“I’m home!” He practically shouts it as he shuts the door, already regretting everything he didn’t ask Veis – can she hear him from a distance, or does he have to touch the sword? Do attacks with or to the blade cause her any harm? Is she able to stop listening by choice? Did Faoric tell her about this before he passed Zaiphoros on to Rahmi? The thoughts race through his head at a speed too fast for comprehension, and he throws himself at his bedroll to scoop up Zaiphoros and hold her close – like it will bring him closer to Thana somehow.

“I’m home,” he repeats, still wheezing. He formulated a whole plan of how he would go about saying this on his sprint back here, but it’s all gone out the window now that he’s actually arrived. “Hi… hi Zaiphoros. I’m sorry I left without saying anything before. I was in a bit of a hurry.”

The runes give one slow flash in answer. It makes him think of all the times they shone in the past, sometimes blazing as bright as a miniature sun, bright enough to make his eyes hurt… and now, so quiet. Rahmi takes a moment to catch his breath as he lifts the blade to bring it to the couch with him. He sits down on the cushions and rests it across his lap, letting his fingers rest against the cool, dark metal.

“…I’m also sorry for leaving you behind so much recently, and for not saying as much to you as I did before. I’ve been a little paranoid lately – probably with good reason, but still.” He laughs weakly, trying to take his time with this. He doesn’t want to scare her. “I was… I was afraid of what you could hear, and afraid of who might try to take you away from me if they heard it. I hope you can understand. I just… don’t want to lose you. You’re so important and precious to me, a reminder of everyone I care about and everyone I want to protect… but I think you already know that.”

He trails off, his mouth suddenly dry. Never mind about taking his time… He just has to say it. 

He has to tell her. She’s  _ right _ there.

Veis wouldn’t lie to him about something like this.

“After all… you’re the person I want to protect the most.”

…There’s another single, sudden pulse from the runes – he can only imagine it’s confusion. Rahmi smiles, briefly lifting one hand from the blade to rub at his teary eyes before he speaks again as clearly as he can manage.

“Thana. It’s me, it’s Rahmi. I know you can hear me… I’ve missed you so much.”

The runes glimmer so brightly it makes his eyes sting. He grins wide, leaning in closer.

“I know you can’t really respond. But you’ve been listening all this time…” He presses his fingers to the blade, watching with a weak chuckle as his own tears drip onto the cool metal. “…I’m so happy, Thana.”

More flashing. Rahmi takes hold of the hilt and holds the flat of the blade to his chest, as though somehow that will bring them closer. He can’t stop smiling now, laying down flat on the couch and speaking fast.

“There’s so much-- I have so much to  _ tell _ you, I know-- I know you’ve already heard a lot, but there’s so much more…!” He speaks rapidly, barely pausing for breath. “I have  _ friends _ now, Thana! Friends who I know would love you! You’ve heard them, right? You must have, like Luce, that one time! Oh, and, and-- Gods, there’s just so much, where do I even start!”

He feels all at once like a child again, laying beside his sister in her bed and eagerly telling her about the day he’s had while she nods along and listens happily. He tells her with delight about the Cathedral of Gears and his delves into the Carriers, about the new friends he’s making, about the fights he’s had--

“...and, I still can’t believe this, I knocked his polearm  _ right _ out of his hands,” he goes on, recalling his duel with Florian with excitement. He tries to describe the scene as vividly as possible so that his sister, having only heard the fight, can imagine it too. “It flew all the way into the little pond across the room! You should have seen his face, he looked totally dumbstruck. And now one of the other knights, Raksa, makes fun of him for it and says I ‘destroyed’ him, which I think is hilarious. I  _ destroy _ people now—“

The blade is flashing suddenly, rapidly and without rhythm. Rahmi jolts at the sight of it, resting his hands gently on the hilt.

"H-Hey, are you okay?" He stares at the flickering runes, sudden dread flooding him. "Do you need me to stop…?"

The flickering stops… Then, a slow pulse. Then, a couple more flashes.

Suddenly, it hits him.

"…you're laughing." He grins, flopping down beside the sword once more. "You’re  _ laughing _ at me! What, do you think I can’t destroy people, Thana? I’m a force to be reckoned with now!”

The flashing starts up again, and Rahmi starts to snicker, too.

"Geez. If you like that, you're going to love hearing about the stupid celery incident.” He giggles, pressing his fingers against the blade again as he calms down. “...I’m glad that I know what you’re feeling, even like this.”

The blade gives one slow flash in response. Rahmi nods, then remembers to respond aloud--

“Yeah. Sometimes it takes a second, but I can always figure you out, words or not.” He pauses, then smiles sadly. “Funny. You’re kinda like mama now… She’s doing okay lately, by the way. She still doesn’t talk, but I’ve been taking care of her and making sure she’s alright, don’t worry. I give her a little bit of my paychecks so that she can afford food and the like, and I help around the house when I can afford to go home.”

“And… Papa is doing the same stuff he’s been doing since we were kids. More gambling, more bullshit excuses. I kind of avoid checking in on him, honestly. I can’t bear to be at home when he is.” He sighs, wincing slightly at the flash from the blade. He can practically  _ hear _ her this time-- 

_ ‘Mimi. Family has to stick together.’ _

“I know! I know… I’m not going to let him get in any danger,” he says, unconsciously making hand gestures even though she can’t see him. “I just… can’t forgive him entirely. So much of what we’ve gone through is his fault… But I’ll protect him, I promise.”

There’s no reaction, and he sighs quietly.

“I’m a knight now, you know. Formally. I have a title and everything. I don’t  _ really _ just destroy. Protecting the weak is my job.” He looks up at the ceiling, thinking of the killoren he serves and the things he’s said. “You… probably heard my conversation with my friend Tikos a while back, didn’t you. About… about Razeiya Faoric.”

_ ‘Yes.’ _

“Do you… hate me for how I feel?” he whispers, feeling cold all over.

_ ‘No! Never.’ _

“...I could have fallen in love with anyone, and I fell for him. I feel so stupid.” He doesn’t bother wiping away the tears that are building up in his eyes again, letting them trail down his cheeks and drip onto the sword. “I AM stupid. He can’t love me the way I love him… Hell, even if he COULD love, he wouldn’t love someone like me. What would I have to offer to him that he doesn’t already have? It’s probably just another tool for him to use against me, isn’t it...”

_ ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ _ Memories of Thana’s gentle voice resonate in his mind with every pulse of the runes.  _ ‘It’s okay to love someone, Rahmi. Stop feeling so guilty for having emotions.’ _

“It’s stupid though, right? Falling for a man who had a hand in basically imprisoning you for all these years? And I didn’t even realize…” He sniffles. “He said he’d spoken to you before. You must have felt so alone. I’m sorry.”

_ ‘At least he brought you back to me.’  _

“I love you.” He whispers-- then, feeling compelled, he speaks louder-- “I love you, Thana. I love you so much, and I’m here now. I’m here, and I’m never letting you go again, no matter what.” He sniffles, but speaks through his tears. Zaiphoros flashes.

_ ‘I love you too, Mimi.’ _

“I… I AM a little scared,” he admits, wiping at his eyes. “They keep telling me this sword will hurt me, that it could do unspeakable things to me… Stuff about souls, and how it might take mine if I’m not careful, and how it could hurt people. But I don’t care about that, especially not now! No matter… No matter what happens, I’m never letting go again. I promise.”

_ ‘Just keep doing your best. Happiness is waiting for us at the end of all this.’ _

It’s a years-old comfort, one that Thana would frequently offer him in their times of hardship that he’d nearly forgotten about. The thought of hearing it now gets a faint smile out of Rahmi, and he gently rests his hand over the runes for a moment. Things are hard now, but… at least Thana’s still here in some small way. She’s at his side, where she belongs… and happiness is waiting for them, somewhere, eventually. He wipes his eyes and gently cleans the blade of tears, sitting up and resting it across his lap.

“Okay. Time to stop crying... Stories are more fun anyway! How about we pick up where we left off?” he says quietly. The blade gives a soft pulse, and Rahmi nods. “So, speaking of great fights, I should tell you about Rusboukrob…”

They sit together for a while, just Rahmi and his sister, and he goes on about his adventures until his voice gets hoarse and Zaiphoros stops responding, possibly Thana falling asleep. When he’s decently sure that she’s no longer listening, Rahmi sheathes the sword--far more gently than before, now that he knows what exactly he’s holding.

“...I’m going to come and save you,” he whispers, eyes feeling itchy and dry from all the crying he’s been doing. He rests his hand on the blade’s hilt again. “Just wait for me a little longer, Thana. You’ll see the outside again soon.”

There’s no response from the blade. With a heavy weight in his heart, Rahmi sits back on the couch and stares up at the ceiling for a while, trying to remember every detail he can about his sister’s voice. 


End file.
